Sometimes, I don’t realize something about myself until someone makes an observation about themselves—and I think, “Oh, right, that’s true for me, too.” For instance, my mother told me, “I like seasons. One thing I enjoy about Kansas City is that we really experience the seasons.” I’d never thought much about it, but when I heard her say that, I realized that it’s true for me, as well. Right now, New York City is very cold, and we have a big snowstorm coming on Sunday. When I’m annoyed by having to put on so much outerwear, or annoyed by the possible inconveniences of the snow, I remind myself, “I love this! I love seasons! I wouldn’t choose to give this up.”

Onward,

5 Things Making Me Happy

 1 

On the Happier podcast, my sister Elizabeth and I often talk about our love of whimsy, and we suggest ways for people—including us—to build more whimsy into life. I’m rarely on-trend, so I was pleased to see the report from Google Trends that “whimsy” is at an all-time high for the second January in a row, and “year of whimsy, “how to add more whimsy to your life,” “whimsy goals,” and “how to be more playful” are breakout searches. If you’re looking for easy ways to boost your whimsy, in episode 540, back in June, we featured a treasure trove of easy hacks. 

 2 

Speaking of podcasts, the Since You Asked with Lori Gottlieb and Gretchen Rubin podcast is back after a break. It’s an advice podcast, with a few twists to update that beloved, familiar format. Please send your questions—about matters both big and small. People’s questions are endlessly fascinating.

 3 

In yet another podcast-related update, I was sorry to see that the brilliant interviewer Melvyn Bragg has retired from one of my favorite podcasts, In Our Time. It was my father’s very favorite podcast, and I started to forward him the news article about Bragg’s retirement, before I realized—my father is gone. If you like to listen to calm, educated discussions about interesting subjects, give it a try.

 4 

Recently, I published Get It Done: How to Complete Your Dream Project. I was thrilled to see it hit the Top 10 Audiobooks on Audible.com this week, alongside The Let Them Theory, Atomic Habits, 1929, Oprah’s Enough, and the King James version of the Bible. What company to keep!

 5 

Because of the “negativity bias,” we pay more attention, and remember better, when information is negative. For that reason, a proverb of journalism is “If it bleeds, it leads,” and we’re more likely to read, and remember, negative news. Here’s some positive news: “The Great Crime Decline Is Happening All Across the Country.” Rates of violent crime have dropped across the country, and researchers are trying to figure out why.

INTERVIEW

Dr. Jaime Knopman and Rebecca Raphael